A GROUP of Year 7 students from schools in Mareeba learnt recently that high school isn’t that scary.
Through the efforts of the Mareeba Parish Youth Group, students from St Thomas’ School and Mareeba State Primary School enjoyed a day of activities and games and learnt more about their passage into secondary education next year.
ear 10 student leaders, Gemma Elms, Kristin Porter, Margot Livsey and Teesha Basham led the High School Survival workshop on November 4, with the help and guidance of Mareeba Parish Youth Group co-ordinator Wendy van den Brink.
Gemma Elms said the day was a success from start to finish.
“We started with a Bible passage from the book of Genesis about change, moving on to discover new and interesting things that lie ahead,” she said.
“We talked about any fears they had about high school, how to deal with change and how to avoid dangerous situations without hurting themselves or others.”
The day finished with a calming meditation and a prayer and the students were given a crucifix to take with them.
“We sent them on their way, hopefully to see them next year at our high school without too many nerves on their first day,” said Gemma.
The teams were commended for their work in facilitating the workshop, which was well received by all who attended.
Earlier, on October 28, 20 young people from Mareeba attended a one-day retreat and workshop about peer pressure.
The young people congregated at “Genanzano” at Lake Tinaroo and were led by two Year 12 students, Gail Morrow and Joseph Marinelli.
The story of the prodigal son was told and those attending learnt how peer pressure can lead people to make good and bad choices. Role plays also helped bring strategies for resisting peer pressure into play.
The day was filled with discussions and activities in a friendly and relaxed environment.
